We'd already heard Sony is planning deep layoffs—16,000 workers gone—but now the Times of London says that it's gearing up for a bunch of “sacred cow-slaying” measures, including the closure "of several major divisions."

The Times doesn't get super specific about what they mean by major divisions—Walkman? PlayStation? That kind of sacred but highly unprofitable cow?—but do say that the restructuring will "abolish or fundamentally alter many of Sony's long-established business practices," meaning we could be seeing a very different Sony emerge next month.

What it will look like, though, is anyone's guess. Sony, for the record, denies any such plans existing, though a) these kinds of denials typically don't mean a whole lot and b) this kind of deep restructuring may be just what Sony needs. [Times Online via Reuters via Kotaku]